


Cracked

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 18:31:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10905015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: His father was missing and Jon was an idiot. It should have surprised no one how quickly he got to his breaking point.





	Cracked

**Author's Note:**

> Beginning is dialogue from Superman 21, and is obviously a divergent from the scene with Kathy, haha. It struck me how many times Damian mentioned finding his father and how clearly scared for him he was in that issue, but Jon didn’t seem to notice or care. I feel like Clark did, but isn’t there, of course. When they find Batman, Lois gives him a piece of her mind about taking care of his son. This wasn’t meant to be a Mother’s Day fic, but here we are haha.

“…Then let’s _drive_ and look for Batman ourselves.” Damian countered. “I’ve unencrypted the Batmobile code key. It’s cloaked nearby-”

“Stop it.” Jon suddenly cut off harshly.

Damian paused, and looked over. “Stop what?”

“Getting me into trouble.” Jon spat.

Damian blinked, pushing down the burst of hurt that swirled in his gut. Masked his emotions with a scoff, as he reached out and grabbed Jon’s shoulder. “Okay, now that we’ve established I’m the bad influence, let’s go!”

But without warning, Jon spun around, heat vision burning his eyes, and a hand ready to hit.

_“I said no!”_

Damian dodged it out of instinct. Ducked and stepped back a few feet. Listened as Jon breathed heavily, waited until the heat vision was gone from his eyes.

That hurt exploded in his gut once more, but this time, after everything that had already happened today, he was just too exhausted to quell it.

“…Fine.” Damian snapped, turning away. “Forget it.”

“Wha…” Jon started dumbly. “Wait, Damian, no. Dad said we had to go to the house…”

“I don’t care.” Damian threw over his shoulder.

And he heard Jon’s footsteps, tensed when he felt a hand on his elbow.

“Damian, it’s not safe out here right now-”

“You’re damn right it’s not!” Damian roared, and in a mockery of Jon’s own actions, spun around and shoved Jon backwards. “And yet _my father_ is out here, _missing_ , and you don’t even care!”

Jon stumbled back, and a wave of hurt washed across his own face. _Good_.

“And I helped you protect yours. But no, you’re right, my father’s safety is too much trouble for you.” Damian drawled. “So, go on. Run back to your mommy and daddy. I can handle this on my own.”

Jon frowned. “Damian, that’s not fair-”

“No, you know what’s not fair, Hickville?” Damian hissed. “You have two parents, safe at home, who love you. Who worship the damn ground you walk on, and you _don’t even care_.”

He stomped forward, just a step or two.

“I’d kill for that. I _have_ killed for that.” Damian breathed. “And do you know what I got for it? A mother halfway across the world I was never good enough for, and a father who would rather spend his time sitting on a skyscraper roof in the middle of the night than with me.”

And he could feel them – those betraying tears welling up in his eyes. But it was too late to stop them now.

“All I got from it was a father who never wanted me, and man I could never stop loving even if I tried.”

The tall grass rustled nearby. There were tears in Jon’s eyes too, he could see them. What an idiot.

“But someone’s taken him from me, and all I wanted from you all day today was your help in finding him. Because the only reason he came here was because he was worried for _you_ , and _your_ well-being, and _your_ safety.” Damian continued, trying to save anything he could of his dignity. Anything to keep the image he knew Jon had of him. “But, no, yeah, you’re right. It’s too much trouble. So go home. Go back to your mother and your father and your safe little house on the prairie.”

Damian turned again and began walking away. And that was it.

Or so he thought.

“Damian.”

The voice wasn’t Jon’s, and, despite the argument, despite the fury and sadness coursing through his veins, when he registered that the voice was closer to his counterpart than himself, he grabbed his weapons, ready to protect the other at all costs.

But when he spun back around, muscles ready, all he found was the dimwit’s mother.

All he found was Lois Lane.

Jon jumped and looked at his mother in surprise too, as she slowly walked forward. She didn’t stop when she reached him though, just ran her hand over his head and continued towards Damian.

“Mom…?”

As she approached Damian, she smiled, and slowly lowered to her knee in front of him.

“…You can cry if you want to.” Lois whispered. “Everyone needs a good cry sometimes.”

Damian kept his gaze to the left. Just kept blinking as fast as he could.

And Lois just kept smiling. “Damian, tell me what’s wrong.”

“My father is missing.” Damian huffed. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Lois waited patiently.

“…He’s missing and I’m scared.” Damian breathed. “I’m scared he’s _hurt_. I’m scared I’ll…never see him again.”

His voice was becoming tight. Lois silently just lifted the corner of the child’s cape, and held in her coo when he took it and began to dab at his eyes.

(Sometimes she hated Bruce for this. For letting this tiny, vulnerable child become this. For _leaving_ him like this.)

“I don’t want to be alone.” Damian admitted in a quiet sob, hiding his face in his cape. “Mrs. Kent, I don’t want to lose my father and be alone again.”

She watched him for a moment, watched him cry like he probably never let himself. Found herself remembering how young Damian Wayne really was, and feeling guilty for forgetting that fact herself, like no doubt so many others did.

“…I don’t know Talia’s mothering style.” She tried, holding her arms up. Damian sniffed, and looked at her cautiously. “But may I?”

Damian looked between her hands, and slowly nodded.

She smiled again, carefully leaned up and took Damian into her arms.

And Damian didn’t return the embrace, but she was surprised nonetheless when he accepted it, and leaned his head against her shoulder.

“We’ll find your dad, Damian. Don’t worry.” Lois hummed, stroking softly at his hair. “And…on the off chance we don’t, I promise you, you won’t be alone. You’ll have Clark and me. And we’ll love just as much as we love Jon.”

She pulled back just a little. Waited until Damian looked her in the eye.

“And I’m not in the business of defending Batman, but…” She laughed. “Before he disappeared, he _did_ leave you in the care of Superman, arguably one of the most powerful and protective beings in the universe.”

“So?”

“So…despite his actions of playing the dark loner, don’t ever think he doesn’t love you just as much as you love him, okay? I know it’s hard to believe sometimes, especially coming from Bruce, but. He leaves you behind because he cares about you.” Lois explained. “Trust me, Clark does it to Jon and I all the time, and we hate it just as much.”

Damian sniffed and backed up a step.

“I have to find him.” Damian tried, though he sounded tired. Desperate. “I _have_ to find my father.”

“And we will.” Lois nodded. “ _Together_. You going off on your own is the _last_ thing Bruce would want.” A hesitation. “…It’s the last thing Dick and your siblings would want too.”

The mention of his eldest brother seemed to make him freeze.

“…Now come on.” Lois stood, holding her hand out to Damian. “Let’s you, me and Jon head back to the house and think up a plan on how to go save your dad.” She paused, glancing around. “And, probably, my husband.”

Damian looked at her fingers, before exhaling, and gently taking them. Lois smiled as she turned, and found Jon already there and taking her other hand in his own.

She and her boys walked quietly back to the farmhouse.


End file.
